Ecology: Population and Communities

Question 1

Abiotic?

Answer 1

Physical environment features.

Question 2

Biotic?

Answer 2

Living features

Question 3

Levels of ecology?

Answer 3

Individual, Populations in ecology, community, ecosystem.

Question 4

What’s population ecology?

Answer 4

Many individuals of same species

Question 5

What’s a community?

Answer 5

Multiple members of different species.

Question 6

Autocology?

Answer 6

Study of individuals in their environment.

Question 7

Behavioral ecology?

Answer 7

How it’s body allows it to function in habitat so adaptation.

Question 8

Population?

Answer 8

Group of individuals of a species that occupies an area.

Question 9

3 types of species distribution?

Answer 9

Random, regular,clumped

Question 10

Meta population?

Answer 10

Set of connected populations.

Question 11

What are the measures of samples?

Answer 11

Per unit area
Per unit volume
Biomass - per unit area

Question 12

Types of population density sampling?

Answer 12

Plot samples: Quadrats or transect.

Plotless samples: Mark/recapture or nearest neighbour analysis.

Question 13

What do life tables measure?

Answer 13

Birth, Death, Population dynamics.

Question 14

What’s a cohort?

Answer 14

Group of individuals that were born at same time

Question 15

What are the types of life table?

Answer 15

Cohort life table - Alive organisms at specific times and number of offspring they produce at different time intervals.
Statistic life table - Based on age distribution of population.

Question 16

What can life tables be used to draw?

Answer 16

Survivorship curves.

Question 17

Types of population growth?

Answer 17

Exponential - growth rate of population accelerates

Logistic - Rate accelerates to point of maximum growth and then slows down.

Question 18

What’s the R rate?

Answer 18

Steep bit of curve is the maximum growth curve.

Question 19

What’s the K rate?

Answer 19

Carrying capacity is max population size.

Question 20

Population regulation?

Answer 20

Density - Independent factors

Density dependant factors - occur when carrying capacity is reached.

Question 21

Difference between K and R adapted species?

Answer 21

R adapted - e.g Insects, rodents, parasites - short life/rapid growth/early maturity/many small offspring.
K adapted - e.g wolves, elephants, whales - long life/slower growth/late maturity/Fewer large offspring.

Question 22

Community?

Answer 22

All species that live within a given area/habitat.

Question 23

All types of interspecies relationships?

Answer 23

Neutral - Two species don’t interact
Mutualism - Both participants benefits
Commensalism - One participant benefits but other unaffected.
Amenalism - One participant is harmed but other is unaffected.
Predator-Prey or parasitic-host - one participant harmed, other benefits.
Competition - Both participants lose energy.

Question 24

Types of change (succession)?

Answer 24

Primary - Starts from baron ground

Secondary - Disturbed area where organisms survived recent disturbance.

Question 25

What are transitional communities?

Answer 25

Members of pioneer communities when they gradually change the habitat.

Question 26

What’s a Climax community?

Answer 26

Stable, self perpetuated array of species in equilibrium with one another nd their habitats.

Question 27

What’s the basic progression of Xerach succession on bare rock?

Answer 27

Bare rock > Lichen moss stage > Annual herb stage > Perennial herb stage > Scrub stage > Forests.

Question 28

What’s a hydrosere?

Answer 28

A succession which starts with water.

Question 29

What is intraspecific and interspecific competition?

Answer 29

Intraspecific - Within species

Interspecific - Between species

Question 30

What’s a Niche?

Answer 30

Functional role of a species in a community.

Question 31

What’s a fundamental niche?

Answer 31

The broadest possible niche a species can occupy.

Question 32

Wat’s a realised niche?

Answer 32

The part of the fundamental niche that a species actually occupies after competition.

Question 33

True or False? Can two species have the same niche?

Answer 33

Niches can overlap but no two species in a habitat have the same niche. One has to perform the niche better.

Question 34

What’s a co-evolutionary arms race?

Answer 34

When two or more species coevolve. (Evolve to out compete or survive each other).

Question 35

What are mutualisms?

Answer 35

Ranges from non-specific mutually beneficial associations to total dependency of two species on each other.

Question 36

What’s a keystone species?

Answer 36

• A species which influences the entire community so it’s removal will cause the ecosystem to collapse.
• Influence both species richness of communities/flow of energy, and materials through ecosystems.

Question 37

What’s an ecosystem?

Answer 37

All species that live within a given area together with all abiotic features of their environment.